Bath waste and overflow assemblies are used to connect a water overflow outlet of a bathtub or similar bathing vessel to the normal waste water outlet, located in the base of the bathtub. The bath waste generally includes an overflow head assembly which is mounted to the water overflow outlet, and which is in turn connected to a down pipe connected by a T-piece or similar arrangement to a pipe section leading from the normal waste water outlet. The overflow head may be covered with a decorative cover.
As the walls of a bathtub are typically angled away from the vertical, the down pipe of the bath waste must generally be able to conform to this angle to reduce the volume of space occupied by the waste, while the overflow head must also be suitably oriented to be mountable to the overflow outlet. Since bathtubs may vary in the angle of the walls, it is advantageous to provide an adjustable bath waste, whereby the angle between the overflow head and the down pipe may be altered for use with different types of bathtub.
A known type of adjustable bath waste includes a section of down pipe formed from corrugated plastic tubing; such tubing may be bent by the installer to provide a desired angle, and will retain that angle. However, this tubing has two key perceived disadvantages: firstly, the interior surface of the down pipe is necessarily also corrugated, whereas smooth interior surfaces are perceived as less likely to trap particles and objects; and secondly, installers may wish to avoid the use of plastic components in certain situations, given the perception that plastic components provide a greater hazard during fires than metal components. Indeed, either or both of these perceived disadvantages may be reinforced by legislative standards set for plumbing installations in certain jurisdictions, such that in order to comply with plumbing codes only rigid pipework designs in solid metal with no flexibility are permissible.
It is among the objects of embodiments of the present invention to obviate or alleviate one or more of these or other disadvantages of conventional bath wastes.